Richard Mille RM 21-01 Manual Winding Tourbillon Aerodyne Rose Gold & Carbon TPT

Toughness to spare

We were intent on achieving extreme lightness on the RM 21-01 and we succeeded in constructing it on a titanium honeycomb structure. The objective was to juxtapose and laser-weld each tiny cell. This achievement on such a microscopic scale is a major technical tour-de-force.

RM 21-01 TOURBILLON AERODYNE
CALIBRE RM21-01

Manual winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, function selector, power-reserve and torque indicators.

Limited edition of 50 pieces

POWER RESERVE

Around 70 hours (± 10%).

POWER-RESERVE INDICATOR

The power-reserve indicator shows the number of hours of energy left in the mainspring before the watch must be wound again.

TORQUE INDICATOR

This indicator supplies information about the mainspring’s tension, thus permitting an optimisation of the chronometric functioning of the movement. Below 5.3 N.mm, the spring is considered too slack, while above 6.5 N.mm, excess tension in the spring can adversely affect the mechanism’s operation, or actually endanger it.

MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS

Movement dimensions: 30.20 x 29.20 mm

Thickness: 7.14 mm

Tourbillon diameter: 12.30 mm

Balance wheel diameter: 10.00 mm

Balance: Glucydur, 2 arms, 4 setting screws, moment of inertia 10 mg•cm2, angle of lift 53°

Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)

Balance spring: elinvar by Nivarox

Shock protection: KIF Elastor KE 160 B28

Barrel shaft: nickel-free Chronifer (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) with the following characteristics: stainless – antimagnetic – suitable for tempering

From the case and dial to each piece of the movement, the design and execution of the watch
demonstrate a holistic approach to conception of the movement, case and dial. As a result, everything has been constructed according to extremely rigorous specifications. The casing ring is eliminated, and the movement is fixed to the chassis with four grade 5 titanium screws and silent blocks (ISO SW).

Carbon TPT is a highly technical material made up of 600 layers of parallel filaments obtained
by separating out carbon fibres. The layers, no more than 30 microns thick, are assembled on a dedicated machine, which stacks the layers, varying the orientation of the fibres by 45° between layers and saturated with a black matrix. The composite is then heated to 120°C at a pressure of 6 bars in a kiln similar to that used for the production of aeronautics parts, after which it is ready to be machined at Richard Mille. During this phase, the many layers of Carbon TPT are revealed, creating random damascene patterns that make each piece unique.

The tripartite case is water resistant to 50 metres, ensured by 2 Nitrile O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 20 spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion-resistant washers in 316L stainless steel.